May Menu, Instructions, Grocery List, Labels and Podcast
I hope that you had a good April cooking experience and are looking forward to May! If you are new to the site this month, WELCOME. We are glad that you have decided to join us. Here is what you will need to participate in the May OAMC BIG DAY! Not sure how to get started, read here.
Spring is in full swing and around our house, so is the grill. With lots of grill items going on sale in May you can be sure that this menu is full of great things for cooking outdoors. Don’t fear, if you don’t have a grill many of them can also be cooked in a crock pot, broiler or oven.
May Podcast
- Listen in the orange player at the top of this post…
May Menu
- Included below are the menu items that we will be preparing as part of our OAM Cooking BIG DAY. In the printable menu the menu items are listed as single, double, or quadruple depending on how much we need to make on the BIG DAY. The recipes linked below are ONLY for the single batch, to see the amounts we are making on the OAM BIG DAY you will need to visit the May Printable Menu.
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Breakfast
- Fresh Strawberry Muffins
- Low-Calorie Strawberry Shake (adding Banana)**
- Homemade Granola Bars
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Lunches
-
Dinners
- Asian Flank Steak (Don’t Panic Recipe)**
- Elliot’s Gourmet Burgers (Don’t Panic Recipe)**
- Strong Safety Stuffed Burgers**
- Spaghetti Pie
- Slow Cooker Saucy Meatballs
- Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti
- Barbecued Baby Back Ribs**
- Pioneer Woman’s Flank Steak**
**Indicates meals that require NO COOKING on your OAM Cooking BIG DAY!
Grocery List
- Included in this spreadsheet you will find a listing of all the items you will need to complete your May OAM Cooking BIG DAY. For more instructions on how to use this, go here.
- Printable Grocery List
Instructions
- These are the step-by-step instructions you will need to quickly and efficiently approach your OAM Cooking BIG DAY!
- Printable Instructions
Labels
Designed to be printed on Avery 8163 or equivalent! Readers who didn’t have labels available suggested just printing them on paper and taping them. Cheap and economical; I like it!
I’ve tried turning them into pdf files so that hopefully they would maintain their properties and by-pass some of the issues we have been having printing from Google Docs. However, being on vacation, I haven’t had time to test them. SO. If you are unable to print them correctly, let me know and I will create a different solution when I return home the later next week.
- May Labels 1 – Fresh Strawberry Muffins, Low-Calorie Strawberry Shake
- May Labels 2 – Homemade Granola Bars, Hot Dog Croissants
- May Labels 3 – Chicken BBQ Pita Pizzas, Chipotle Chicken and Corn Chowder
- May Labels 4 – Chicken Taco Wraps, Asian Flank Steak
- May Labels 5 – Elliot’s Gourmet Burgers, Pioneer Woman’s Flank Steak
- May Labels 6 – Strong Safety Stuffed Burgers, Spaghetti Pie
- May Labels 7 – Slow Cooker Saucy Meatballs, Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti
- May Labels 8 – Barbecued Baby Back Ribs, Blanks
Helpful Hints
- Tips from Once A Month Mom cook Misty Newsome AFTER her OAMC day.
- Tips and Stories from other readers.
What do you think of May’s menu?
And don’t forget to check out the right sidebar weekly to vote on past month’s menu items!
I’m looking over your May grocery list and see a couple things that might be typos.
For the ginger root, it doesn’t have a quantity – it reads a date :)
16os. Peanuts are listed twice (Baking Goods & Cereal/Grains/Pasta).
All the recipes look yummy! My sister and I might try doing OAMC this month :) I can’t wait to email her the links and see what she thinks :)
Fixed. On vacation so fixes come slower.
2 hamburger recipes while we’re still working on last month’s hamburgers. I think I might sit this month out.
I really have enjoyed your menus and recipes since April. I noticed that the formatting is different for the May printable menu. Due to this change, I wasn’t able to adjust the amounts on my computer . Is this what you will be doing from now on or will you be going back to the old formatting? Just curious b/c I really liked the ease of use with the old formatting.
I didn’t change anything that I am aware of. There is a chance that I chose another option when I published the documents in Google Docs. Can you tell me which ones seem to be formatted differently?
The recipes for Feb and April were on the bottom and you could see the cell numbers/letters and main toolbar with ‘file/view/help’. The google docs logo and sign in were visible at the top of both the feb and april menus. I’m not sure how this should be changed, but I do know that the formatting has changed. I hope that helps, and good luck! Thanks!!
i think that I have fixed the problem you were having with viewing and making changes to the menu and grocery list. Thanks for the heads up. Let me know if it is working now.
The formatting for the recipes and menu is different, and it doesn’t export any of the formatting to Excel like it did before. I never had a problem with the previous lists/recipes. Hope this helps! I’m really new to google docs, so I have absolutely no idea what happened or how to fix it though. Sorry. :(
I saw the title and panicked that it was time to cook again already! Clearly my family was falling behind. Then I remembered the schedule. whew. I am definitely interested in the granola bars especially since we try to not to bring HFCS into the house if we can avoid it. I’ll need to think of something other than nuts to bulk it up though – with toddlers 3 and younger we haven’t done the peanut challenge and I don’t feel like testing it out yet.
I have made the Spaghetti Pie in the past. It is delish!
The menu looks great Trish! Can’t wait to make everything and eat it all up! (hopefully) :) Hope you’re having a very relaxing and enjoyable vaca!
Just saw the menu and I have to admit that I am ready to do another day of cooking. (We just did April last Saturday.) I am hoping that we can do a better job of saving money throughout the month.
My bag is #12701
http://www.designareusablebag.com/vote-for-designs/bag.aspx?BagId=12701&banner=fredmeyer
I’m an email subscriber.
I was just wondering I think you said you buy the buns ahead of time and freeze them with the meal so you have everything you need together. I was just wondering if you have any tips for freezing and thawing them as I remember as a kid the ones my mom froze didn’t turn out that great when she thawed them.
This will be my first time attempting OAMM cooking. I have a few flank steaks frozen in my freezer right now. I wonder how I should handle these on my Big Day? I don’t think I should thaw and then refreeze, right? Would you just suggest I wait until the day of the meal and then thaw, marinate all day, cook as indicated? Any advice is greatly appreciated. I love your site and what you offer here! Thank you!
Either make the marinade and add the frozen steaks directly to the marinade and freeze. Or make the marinade and freeze and when you thaw thaw them together in the same dish so they marinade together. You are right that you don’t want to thaw and refreeze.
I am DEFINITELY adding the muffins and the buffalo chicken spaghetti to the menu! This month’s beef dishes might just push me over the edge to get hubby a grill for Father’s day…I will be sure to have him thank you :)
I am so glad to have found this site! I have been cooking all day and have really enjoyed it. Looking forward to more menus.
Hey There- Is the chicken measurement correct? It says 14 pounds, but to add 12 if you are substituting chicken for porkchops. I am thinking this is from last months grocery list???
I love your site & and am planning on doing my first cook soon. I was just wondering if you have any plans on fixing the way the files open in google docs? I am still unable to save the files or alter the quantities like we have been able to in the prior months. Thank you
I thought I had fixed this problem a day or two ago. I would go to the post and refresh your browser. You might also have to delete your cookies in the case that it has “marked” the other post. If you continue to have problems or it still seems like it is not formatted correctly, please email me so I can work on other options for fixing it.
April is gone already??? WOW! it literally blew through my life like a tornado. I need to go get my May food prepped so that I’m prepared in case May does the same. {Phew!}
Thank you for all you do to help us busy busy moms!!!
We tried the strawberry muffins yesterday and they are great. If you’re using paper liners you may want to double up as they came out kind of juicy.
A grocery store near here has baby back ribs on sale this week but in the add it says previously frozen in the description – does this mean that I should not get it because I should not freeze it again?
It is not wise to freeze meat, thaw it, and refreeze it. That are the USDA guidelines. Honestly, I am pretty sure most of the packaged chicken I buy in the meat case has been frozen at one time (sometimes the packages are still “frozen” in the meat case) before I buy it and I usually freeze it. I give you the guidelines you can make a decision for yourself. But note that it wouldn’t be recommended.
I just printed everything out for this month and am about to start this week. I was thinking that it is too much for me to commit to one day but was going to attempt cooking 2 recipes a day for a week.
Do you think this would work also or does anyone have any tips for me?
That will work. Just look over the instructions and see what would be best for the first day and what would be best for the second. Are you doing it with a partner or do you have a big family? Good luck. Feel free to link up and tell us all about it.
Hello. I just found this site today & am excited to try OAMC. Thank you for all the hard work you put into it. I printed everything out for May & was looking over it & think I might have found a typo. The recipe for the ribs calls for 2 cups of paprika. I know the recipe is making a lot of food but this still seems like a lot. Also, the shopping list only calls for 8oz of paprika. Another thing… all of the other meat recipes say to thaw before cooking but the ribs don’t specify. Do you cook them while still frozen or thaw? Sorry if I’m asking too many stupid questions. Thanks in advance to anyone who can help me learn the ropes.
Good catch! I finished this menu on vacation so there are mistakes of course. The paprika is right in the recipe amount according to the author’s original and the fact that we are quadrupling the recipe. But you were right that 8oz isn’t correct, it should be 16. Thank you, I fixed that. Meats – it is best if you can buy raw meat, mix your recipes, and then freeze. If you are buying meats ahead of time and they just need marinades (like ribs and flank steak) you can consider buying them, portioning them into the sizes that you will need on your cooking day, then freezing. On your cooking day, you WILL NOT thaw them you will simply add the portion of marinade required to the frozen bag of meat. I hope this makes sense. Email me if it doesn’t.
Thank you for your quick response. I couldn’t figure out where to find your email address. I think you misunderstood my question about the meats. My question was about the eating day, not the big cooking day. For the ribs it says: “To serve: Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place ribs in large baking dish lined with foil. Bake for 90 minutes.” My question is: Am I supposed to put them in the oven frozen or should I thaw them first? The other meat recipes instruct you to thaw first but this one doesn’t. It seems to me that you would thaw first but I thought I would ask. Perhaps you just forgot to add the “thaw” to the serving instructions. Thanks again.
Thanks, you are right I miss read the question. You should thaw them before cooking them or double the time. Best if you thaw first. I will correct that in the written instructions. Thank you.
Just happened upon this site, as I am 37 weeks pregnant and in need of freezable menu items. Thank you so much, this is exactly what I needed!
enjoy. and good luck cooking at 37 weeks! not sure i could do it.
at 37 weeks pregnant, I would NOT be cooking..but rather invite a series of your tried and true girlfriends over to cook for you..you buy the stuff..and maybe buy some extra for them…you serve sandwiches/finger foods and while they are doing the standing you are SITTING and doing the chopping or other easy stuff..make it a girl’s day..send them home with the extra casseroles/bagged stuff..great idea in lieu of a shower I’d say…and then of course, when you get settled in with new child down the road return the favor..make it a 4 family deal or something…
So glad to find your website. We tried the raspberry choc. chip pancakes last month and they are delicious.
I’ve been doing freezer cooking for several years–usually once a quarter and then I do 40 or 50 entrees by myself. I usually start prepping on Friday night, and work all day Saturday.
I’m just tickled pink to have some new recipes to work with, and also some breakfast ideas. I have a baby due June 8 and have already filled my freezer in preparation.
Thanks for all your hard work!!
Glad to hear that you like what you have found. Congrats on the new one coming soon! :) Looks like maybe some baby food making in your future?!
Anxious to start my first cooking session tomorrow. Thanks for all your hard work! I did not see the pitas listed on the grocery list.
I have enjoyed reading your website. So glad I stumbled upon it. I have done OAMC in the past, but don’t seem to have the time or the organizational skills to completely make my own menu each month. Thank you so much for doing the work for me!!
One question, you have listed 3 breakfasts, 4 lunches, and 8 dinners. Do you make enough of each for an entire month? i.e. 3 or 4 batches of each recipe. How does 8 recipes for dinner translate into an entire month of meals?
Thanks!
There is some great explanation information on the About OAMM page that will help you with answer this. Let me know if you have more questions after reading that.
ditto on the berry chip pancakes..my son wiped out the supply by himself..(and I didn’t halve the recipe for just our family)…and I’ve made the full/quadruple batch yet again…he’s running track so hasn’t gained weight..but geez! It would be nice if the rest of us could have some…they are yummy!
I just did my first OAM cooking day yesterday, and it was a huge success! It went a lot smoother than I thought it would. I substituted a couple of recipes from past months that looked really yummy, so mine was a little bit different. And since there are only 2 of us, I halved most of the recipes. The strawberry muffins were delicious, they didn’t even make it to the freezer! Thank you so much for all of your hard work to make this possible! Looking forward to June’s menu!
Hi! I found your site a month or so ago and I love it! I have mentioned it several times on my blog already. I used to think once a month cooking was intimidating, but you make it look easy and you are so organized! I can’t wait to try some of the recipes. I post freezer recipes on my site on Fridays if you need anything new. Thanks for your hard work!
Thanks for the compliments and the promotion of our site. I will bookmark your site for sure! I am always looking for great new ideas and sites. I try to use blogs as the source of my recipes in most cases. Welcome!
I am wanting to try this May menu. I have done some OAMC in the past, but am trying to get it together again.
I see that two of the recipes call for flank steak, which is really expensive around here. A 2lb package would cost $14. Is there another type of meat that I could substitute for one or both of the recipes?
Thanks!
I, personally, like flat iron steaks. I would venture to say that you could use any type of steak without having too much of quality issue. Whatever you pick, please consider reporting back to us the results so others can follow suit.
This month’s menu was a lot of fun! I split it over a couple of days since I did it by myself. I still have the 3 breakfast things to finish up. But I wanted to share a couple of quick notes..
*On the instructions, it lists chopping 16 carrots and 16 potatoes. It should be 6 carrots & 5 potatoes.
*Also, I have to wash & chop my strawberries.
*Grocery List: More mushrooms are needed. 12 oz for the hamburgers & 4 cups for the meatballs. Probably 24 oz of sliced mushrooms would be more accurate.
*On the Chicken Tacos Wraps – I ended up with a TON of leftovers (another 8 cups) after I made 24+ taco wraps. If I did it again, I would reduce the amount of rice by half.
*The Chipotle Chicken & Corn Chowder is pretty spicy. I made the double batch (as listed in the menu) but chopped only 2 peppers and it gave plenty of flavor. I can’t imagine having used 2 cans as it will only be hotter after being in the freezer.
I had a Taco Wrap for dinner. It was yummy & am looking forward to trying everything else out.
Not sure where you got some of the numbers for items on the grocery list. It kind of looks like you may have looked at another list at the same time. Not sure. There were a few problems with Google Docs this month so sorry if something happened.
I had the same results – I caught the 16 carrots as a typo. We also had way too much taco filings and not enough mushrooms!
The typos were in the cooking instructions for 16 carrots – not the grocery list.
Re: Taco Wraps
I cooked by myself, so I prepared a half batch (enough to make 8 wraps). I bought and used a 14 oz box of instant rice. I misread the box of instant rice and its yield. It wasn’t quite as much as called for in the recipe. My tortillas were 10-12″ size. There was the right amount of filling for 8 wraps.
Is this still a cooking blog?! I haven’t heard much about anybody’s May cooking.
This is a cooking blog. HOWEVER it was never intended to just be a cooking blog. It was intended to be whatever we were dealing with in our lives as moms and wanted to share with others. If you read it for the cooking aspect, great! We love doing this blog but our families have and always will come first. This month our families have needed us, cooking will come as we have time and energy. All things will be posted in due time.
I was wondering the same about Flank Steak-they don’t even sell it at my Kroger because it is too expensive and people don’t buy it at $7.99/lb. Also we are substituting Pork Spare Ribs for the Baby Back Ribs. At $.99/lb vs. $2.99/lb, I could get excited about eating ribs. The package says to cook in 300 degree oven for 2 1/2 hrs. We are trying OAMC to save money, so it was just really hard for me to bite the big one on these expensive meats. One other question, I noticed some of the conversions seem awkward on the dried spices. For example, 6 oz of Parsley is 3 very large containers at Sams Club-surely we just need 3/4 cup???
Parsley is really hard to estimate when calculating fresh to dry. I used suggestions from cookingsleuth.com but it may be off. Feel free to make adjustments as necessary.
completed this month’s cook..requested help from the family…had 2 helpers for part of the day…some I did alone..went together quick with a person at the sink removing dishes as we went…
pulled out a couple of soft tacos for my lunch today at work..yum!..could use a bit of lettuce and/or more taco sauce so will have to remember to put that in…the granola bars are delish..and made a day ahead so I could bring to a boy scout backpack food cooking class I was teaching..and then sending some with the boys..yum! packed those in snack sized zip locks…the shakes work great (I had my doubts)..but brought a different day with a pizza roll/sauce from previous month..the shake thawed by my lunch time so I felt quite snazzy with pizza and a shake!
Not sure how I’ll feel at the end of the month with so many burgers..and still some from last month..guess, it’s a different philosophy with so many of the meals needing cooking/where it’s just the meat not a cooked casserole just to be reheated..we’re game to try most anything.
used all low fat/non fat cream cheeses, grated cheeses and cottage cheese to try to lessen the impact..and found flank steaks in two portions at Costco..can’t remember what the cost was..but they were gorgeous, lean cuts of meat…as were the baby back ribs..they were packed into 3 racks together..and then picked up 1 separately on sale at kroger…
lots of veggies coming on in the garden..so veggie side dishes are going to be getting cheaper as the season wears on so am not as concerned about the cost of more pricey cuts of meat (especially if they are lean)..we tend towards less meat but of a higher quality..so the shrimp/salmon/flank steaks/pork tenderloins/chicken breasts are popular around here..as are fresh tuna/halibut/etc..
thanks for your hard work…
Hey I just have a question about the strawberry shake…it says to use strawberry or vanilla frozen yogurt. I was wondering if it was supposed to be FROZEN yogurt or just regular yogurt because I’ve never made a shake with frozen yogurt. I just wanted to know before I bought my ingredients. Thanks!
Suppose to be frozen yogurt. Thanks for checking, you never know with me.
So I just tried the Strawberry muffins with fresh diced peaches instead – YUUUUMMMY!!! I used 3 medium peaches and cut them kinda small, it came to about 3.5 cups of fruit but that just meant more fruit in every bite! This will definitely be in my permanent rotation!
Great idea! Thanks for sharing. Sounds yummy, can I have one?
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Google Docs isn’t granting me access to the instructions for this menu. Could you help? Everything sounds great. Thanks!
Amanda have you followed this post? http://onceamonthmom.com/all-menus-saving-printing-google-document-grocery-lists-recipe-cards-instructions/